Stop Loan Sharks – Magic Money Tree Project

  Project Overview 

Digital Arts Box is partnering with England Illegal Money Lending Team and Cheshire Constabulary on a public awareness project, centred around the dangers of loan sharks operating in St Helens. 

Marrying digital design with installation art, our ‘Magic Money Tree’ Project is a community-focused series of sessions, culminating in four unique ‘Magic Money Tree’ art installations. Working with four St Helens schools, our project will highlight the dangers of loan sharks. The young people will learn about illegal money lenders; who they are, how they exploit vulnerable people and what can be done if someone is involved with a loan shark. We will then focus on teaching the young people digital arts skills to design and create their own loan shark awareness banknotes. The finished artworks will contain useful information to help those involved with illegal money lenders, and they’ll be printed and hung onto each school’s money tree. 

Our work throughout the project will build towards a celebration event at St Helens Library  on 4th March 2023. We’ll display all of our schools’ money trees, bedecked with their anti-loan shark bank notes. Every participant and their families will be invited to join us for a range of fun creative activities. After this the schools will receive the magic money tree created by their students to put on display at their centres, to proudly showcase their pupils’ artistic skills and continue to raise awareness about illegal money lenders in their community.

We are proud of the success of our previous projects working with the England Illegal Money Lending Team. This ‘Magic Money Tree’ project will follow the success of our  Pixel Art Project in Halton, which also involved working with local schools and community groups to create a public art exhibition. We are strong advocates for public awareness through creative community-based arts projects.

When does the project take place?

The project runs across a series of two-hour sessions throughout early 2023.

Where will the sessions take place?

We’ll be working with four St Helens schools, with a session running during the school day at each centre.

 

How much does it cost?

This project is completely free of charge for young people and the schools.

 

Contact Us 

Two men are interacting during a digital workshop. One man, seated and wearing a dark blue jumper, holds a digital pen. The other man, standing and wearing a light blue "Digital Arts Box" t-shirt, leans over with an iPad in hand, demonstrating something on the screen, which is facing away from the camera.
What first drew you to attend one of our workshops, and what do you remember most about that experience as a young person?

 

The first time I joined a session was when I was invited to take part in The Big Music Project. It was a collaboration between The Studio and Mako Create, and I was part of a group of young people taking part. I remember being blown away by how much we got to do. It was actually the first time I’d ever used an iPad! I left that first session really excited about what technology could do. I even came home and told my 7-year-old brother that as soon as he was old enough, I’d be signing him up too. I eventually did, mainly so I could go with him and fly drones!

 

In what ways do you think taking part in the workshops influenced your confidence, skills, or direction at that time in your life?

 

Those early sessions definitely helped build my confidence. As part of The Big Music Project, I got the chance to perform some of my songs at an event and even interview other artists who were performing. I loved it. We also got to go on a trip to London, which sparked my interest in travelling and exploring new places.

How did your journey from participant to team member unfold, and what does it mean to you now to be delivering workshops yourself?

 

After watching Mako Create and Digital Arts Box grow over the years, I was always really motivated to work with them. So when the opportunity came up, I didn’t hesitate. I’d always been impressed by how fun the sessions looked, and I was curious about what went on behind the scenes. Now that I’m part of the team delivering those workshops, it means a lot to be able to give young people the same kind of experience that meant so much to me.

James’s story is a brilliant example of how creative tech programmes can open doors. What started as a fun workshop experience has grown into a career helping others discover their own potential.

We hope his journey inspires other young people to explore creative technology and maybe even return one day to lead workshops of their own!

 

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